julzieluv1

I live in these at home. I am just wondering if I will be snubbed in Italy or Paris wearing these items in the day. I have to say they are Lululemons if that makes any difference. (Stylish) I shopped all the "comfy" shoes and frankly they suck. I want to be comfy. I don't really care what they think about me in the streets, but will I be snubbed for having lunch in restaurants? I understand dinner might be different.

mstravelgirl

I think you will, personally. You will look American for sure. I found a pair of Converse white eyelet slip ons myself and am looking at a pair of Toms to take on my trip along with sandals. While I love lululemon and workout shoes as my norm, it really is dressier (to me) in France. I've been 3 times. Have a great trip!

julzieluv1

Thank you Travel Girl!

eventide

Not that looking American is a bad word always but I think leggings are inappropriate in public to European tastes. Even an athletic little skirt tossed over your leggings would be more appropriate. It certainly will affect the way you are treated! Enjoy the trip.

cynthia_booker

Fine if you are a teenager, however. Otherwise, no, just no.

maxima

I wouldn't worry overly much about the Nike shoes. For me comfort is paramount and I cannot wear the so called comfort shoes or slip on shoes. I never found that footgear mattered that much, unless you are eating in a super expensive place

But I would not wear leggings unless I was out for a run.

and yes Europeans wear all sorts of footgear, and many are also tourists.

julzieluv1

I guess that's why we travel - to experience different cultures. I didn't realize how much I appreciate the casual environment here. (Live in Florida)

julzieluv1

I think I will take your advice by wearing a skirt over them - (I have a Lulu skirt to wear over) but I think I will wear my Nikes and bring some ballerina slippers to change into. What about a stylish tunic to wear over the leggings?

Blueeyedcod

Definitely - a tunic that comes to mid thigh is a good look. Neat hair, nice sunglasses, a good bag (not a backpack/rucksack) and ballerina flats sound way better than leggings and Nike runners. I wear ballerina flats but have cushy inserts in them, so they absorb the impact of all the walking without screaming 'tourist'.
Some people may say that no one cares what you wear but....what you wear says a lot about you and whilst casual/neat is the norm in Paris and Rome, casual/sloppy is definitely not.

kerouac

Professional waiters generally do not judge customers on their appearance; they have more important things to do. It is already clear that the people ready to snub you are your fellow American tourists, as evidenced by the replies to this thread.

IMDonehere

I know when I visit Paris, I wear my T-shirt with an arrow that reads, "Je suis avec stupide."

Blueeyedcod

Kerouac - I am not an American. I live part of the year in Europe. I am simply being honest with the OP. She will be judged on her appearance if she wears leggings with Nike trainers. She won't be given a nice table in a bistro for example. I'm sure she would rather be sitting by a window watching the people pass by than be positioned near a toilet or a wait-station. This does happen. It won't impact on her packing to throw in some tunics and I hope she takes the advice with good humour as it is not a personal attack.

Finecheapboxofwine

Are you going to Rome? I just got back from 9 days in Rome and I saw every sort of clothing options on the street and at the cafés. The only thing that felt out of place were tourists in shorts as it wasn't warm enough last week for shorts. (Italian ladies still in their winter costs- feels like spring to the rest of us.) Nike trainers would be perfectly okay in my book. Rome felt very casual to me as there were tourists everywhere and tourists are usually dressed for comfort. Ballet flats would do your feet in if you might be doing some serious walking. We went into the Louis Vuitton store in our jeans and trainers and no one batted an eye. Not sure about leggings. The only ladies I noticed wearing leggings were with their trainer exercising in Borghese Park.

NewbE

kerouac, insecure Americans lecturing other insecure Americans is a long standing tradition here, lol.

OP, I suggest you ask the ages of the responders. And perhaps solicit photos of them in Paris before taking their advice.

Rubicund

No-one will give a rat's derriere what you're wearing.

Tulips

Nike's are absolutely fine. Leggings if you look good in them. Many women wearing them really shouldn't, especially when combined with a short top.
Stylish tunic + leggings + ballerinas would be fine for smarter restaurants. Leggings with a skirt looks odd to me, do people wear that? If you're going to wear a skirt either wear tights or bare legs.
You find plenty of leggings in stores, also smart ones, but they look best in a thicker material, and combined with a loose and not too short top. Joseph do really good leggings. Leather leggings were popular in winter.
Or something like this;
http://www.net-a-porter.com/be/en/product/335057

sparkchaser

<i>I think you will, personally. You will look American for sure.</i>

Unlikely.

It's all the rage in Germany at the moment. Well, not a full blown rage but I see way more of it than I did last year. I noticed it quite a bit in Scotland as well.

bvlenci

Leggings or "jeggings" (leggings that look like jeans) are all the rage in Italy right now too, and they're usually worn with athletic shoes of some sort. Brightly colored high-top basketball shoes are popular, but Nikes are ubiquitous also. The leggings are usually worn with some kind of tunic or long shirt. It's mostly teens and younger women who favor this look, probably because skin-tight no longer does the rest of us any favors.

I'm just happy to see that they seem to be replacing the harem pants craze, which often made it look like someone needed to change their Depends.

There are certainly restaurants that have dress codes or that just don't approve of casual dress on their premises. But the average modest-but-decent restaurant doesn't have enough toilets to seat all the casually-dressed tourists near them, nor enough elegantly-dressed patrons to fill the seats by the window.

Incidentally, a lot of the casually dressed tourists in France are French tourists, and a lot of the casually dressed tourists in Italy are Italian tourists. One of the joys of going on holiday is that you can leave the office attire at home, and this is true all over the world.

I like the idea that anyone who proffers fashion advice for travel in Europe should be required to give a link to a full-length photo of self on last trip to Europe.

sandralist

I live in Italy and i live in leggings -- all the time! They are very, very popular in Italy with Italian women. I sometimes wear longish skirts over them (the thin kind), but the most popular way to wear them is with short tunic dresses or short skirts. Some young girls wear them with shorts or rompers.

As for shoes, I don't happen to have running shoes or trainers, and while Italian women do wear them, they tend wear the designer-type (Superga, D&G, etc). Something sparkly or with patent leather features. But if your Nikes are not beat us and grey from wear, you'll be fine (try accessorizing them with some wild and trendy anklet socks).

But when are coming to Italy? It is fast getting into the season for sandals. You can find stylish ones with good support. Birkenstocks are now hugely popular in Italy. So are FitFlops. Even the right style of Teva can work.

Just so you are prepared, it is very common in Italy for everybody to look at everybody else's clothes. Or I should say -- for women to do so. Very, very few of them are "judging" you. A lot of them are just looking at your clothes. You will certainly be seen as American but that would happen unless you make a real project of learning how to dress like an Italian -- including hair, jewelry, make up. Italians tend to have favorable opnions of Americans, even American tourists in the most popular tourist areas, so it's not a bad thing to be seen as an American.

sandralist

PS: I think my first paragraph wasn't clear. Italian women also wear leggings all by themselves, not always with a skirt. They frequently wear them with longish blouses, cinched with a belt.